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<title>The Broken Temple: Introducing Gabrial by Vicious_Nightwatch</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26472841">The Broken Temple: Introducing Gabrial</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vicious_Nightwatch/pseuds/Vicious_Nightwatch'>Vicious_Nightwatch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Gabrial Saga [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gabrial verse, Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alcohol, Blood, Blood Drinking, Death, Fantasy, Monsters, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Paladins, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:21:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,096</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26472841</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vicious_Nightwatch/pseuds/Vicious_Nightwatch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Broken Temple is the first story in the Gabrial Saga. The Gabrial Saga, follows Gabrial, a young paladin, with a troubling past. Broken temple is an introduction to the world he lives in, and the divine powers the paladins hold.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Gabrial Saga [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924525</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Broken Temple: Introducing Gabrial</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I pushed the wooden door open, the light from the room lit up the dark alley. I stepped into the Tavern, getting out of the downpour. Once my eyes adjusted to the newfound light, I could more clearly make out how large the room was. The bar took up an entire back wall, and tables full of customers filled up the rest of the room. Behind the bar stood a tall male elf, wearing what seemed to be clothes that were almost too fancy for the establishment he worked at. Towards the end of the bar was the only open seat I could see, and I decided that would be the best place for me. As I made my way through the crowded Tavern, I tried listening to the Patrons' conversations,but the humm of the different conversations blending together, and the noise of the rain hitting the roof made that task nearly impossible. I counted at least thirty other people in the Tavern and I prayed that would be enough for me to get some free information.<br/>	I took my seat next to a dwarf and another human, and the bartender elf walked in front of me nearly as soon as I sat down. As he glanced at me, he wiped his wet hands off on a towel. “Greetings traveller. I don't recall seeing your face before. Are you new here?” The man spoke in a kind and elegant voice, that matched the formal air of his clothes. I nodded in confirmation to his question. His face lit up after realizing I was a new customer. “Well then, welcome to the Drunk Griffon. Some of today's specials include…” The Bartender rambled on for a few moments about what he recommended and what was on sale. I had no care for what they had to sell. “Anything sound interesting?” I was starving, so the idea of eating nearly made me salivate.<br/>	“I'll take whatever meat is on the daily special, and a tankard full of wine.” My voice sounded hoarse. The waiter seemed almost startled by my voice, but quickly recovered and responded <br/>	“We don't serve any wines, will a mead work?’<br/>	I nodded agreeing to the substitution. And just like that, the waiter wandered off. I decided I best get a little bit more comfortable, since I would be spending most of the night here. I took off my bag, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill, before setting my bag at my feet. I rolled up the sleeves of my tunic and got to work. I had very little information as to what the beast looked like, but what I did know I wrote down. <br/>	As I worked, I noticed the rain had begun slowing down, the constant thumping on the roof slowing down to a soft tapping. Slowly I was able to understand the other patron’s conversations. Some talked about the storm, while others talked about family issues. Most of the patrons, however, talked about the increasing monster attacks. From what I could hear, the town had named the monster the “kela”. <br/>	“What are you working on, laddie?” I hadn't noticed that the dwarf who sat next to me, had been staring over my arm. “You're writing about Kela, eh? From what I've heard the beast has got horns larger than I.” The man sounded drunk, and his breath smelt of cheap booze. No matter how drunk the man was, any information was useful, so I wrote it down on my paper. Quickly after that, the tavern exploded in conversation about the beast. Many people argued about the smaller details, but I had no need for those. After thirty minutes, I had more than enough information.<br/>	“Here's your dinner sir, I hope you enjoy it enough to come back another day. We could really use some new faces around here.” The bartender laughed, handed me my food, and went to serve another customer. I looked at my plate. The food wasn't as good looking as i had hoped, but it was food nonetheless, so i dug in. After every few bites, I took a sip of the mead. The only enjoyable part of the meal, in fact, was the mead. It wasn't as good as the wine back at the Monastery, but it was better than any other booze I had consumed on my journeys. <br/>	After I was finished with my meal, I still had some of my drink left. I decided it was best to stay until my cup was dry, then I'd leave to get a night's rest. As I began packing up my area, the female human who was sitting next to me began talking. “Are you just a journalist, or do you plan on hunting the creature?” Her voice seemed weathered, just as her skin. She looked to be in her forties, but I knew she was only in her twenties from the aura surrounding her. <br/>	“Tomorrow I plan on killing the beast. I'm no journalist, just taking notes so that way I will be prepared to kill it.”<br/>	She stayed silent for a moment, before answering me. “Well, prepare to die. I've seen many hunters try to kill her, but they always fail.” She looked at me with a face of disgust before standing up and leaving the bar.<br/>	I stayed in the tavern for another hour, and thought about what the lady had told me. How many had come before me, and would I meet their same fate? My unease nearly made me sick. As I sat, the rain began picking up again. I decided it was time to leave, so I called the waiter over. I reached into my coin bag, and pulled out some coins. “Whatever is left after the cost of my meal, keep for yourself.” The elf nodded, and took the money walking away. I stood up and threw my bag onto my shoulder. As I headed for the door, most of the other patrons nodded as a way of wishing me luck on my journey to come. I looked back gazing at the room one more time, before leaving the building. As I walked down the empty street, I looked into the lightless windows of the ground level buildings. It sounded like the only noise in the entire city was that of the rain bouncing off of the shoulder plates of my armour. I looked back one more time at the small tavern. I knew, no matter the outcome tomorrow, I would not be returning to this tavern ever again.</p>
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